Civic Duty

Julian Moncada
12/1/10
Civic Duty

Civic duty is the main idea behind community service. It is not only used for

helping out homeless people though, it can also apply to everyday life. Civic duty is all

the responsibilities of a citizen. (free dictionary). Many people think civic duty is just

helping out poor people or people in need. When actually that is just a small portion of

what it is. Civic duty requires people to fulfill their responsibilities as human beings too.

This means providing for their family, getting a good education, setting a good example

for the younger generation, and voting at every presidential and congressional election.

Helping out your peers is a major responsibility that many people often forget or simply

don’t care for. It can be as simple as paying for someone else’s groceries, donating blood,

or volunteering at a soup kitchen. It’s called civic duty because it is your duty to help out

people in need. Just like you would want to be helped if you were in need.

Political participation is a major civic duty that people often don’t partake in.

Voting is the most important duty we have when it comes down to deciding how America

will be run. However, most people don’t even vote on election day. This not only gives an

inaccurate election but it also shows how most citizens able to cast their vote and

participate in politics don’t. (www.usiap.org). It is our duty to vote for the president of

the united states or our local congress man. This is how America is supposed to be where

everyone has an opportunity to get involved in the election process and politics in

general.

Community service is another type of civic duty. This means volunteering at the local homeless shelter or serving soup at a soup kitchen. Just these activities alone can

make a big difference in someone’s life. Community service not only helps out society

but it also brings a sense of pride to the American citizen. Many countries do not even

help out their own people when poverty strikes or help is needed. It is our duty to take a

stand and help out our fellow neighbor. Knowing that you fed the hungry or clothed the

people without much to wear gives you a warm spot deep down inside. But community

service should not only be something you are required to do or something that must be

done for a school project, it should be done out of your own grace and kindness.

Getting a good education is also a type of civic duty. People should strive to

further their education as much as possible. Simply making your way through high school

or getting a GED wont cut it nowadays. In today’s society the top students at major

universities get the best paying jobs. Despite this, there are some people don’t even make

it all the way through high school. The saying “Knowledge is Power” is an

understatement. The more educated a person is, the more likely they will actually vote on

election day. A good education is highly valued and teens owe it to their parents and

especially to their country to make the most out of their education. Especially in this

country where everyone has an equal opportunity to be educated and go to school.

College graduates, not just kids our definitely the future of America. (ed.gov).

Civic duty is important not just in America but the whole world. It is easy to a

accomplish but it takes a serious amount of will power. Every citizen has an obligation to

carry out their civic duties. These include community service, political participation, and

even getting a quality education. And when people carry out all of these obligated duties,

everyone especially society can achieve more.
Works Cited



http://www2.ed.gov/students/landing.jhtml

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/civic+duty

http://www.usiap.org/Viewpoints/Zhold/Speeches/SpeechOurCivicDuty.html